Coming Full Circle
by PH2W
Summary: An Epilogue to Hyde School Reunion...This oneshot picks up from the point when Piper lets Victor out and steps back in to see Chris and Wyatt playing together... Mother and son take the first step to building a relationship.


**Disclaimer:** "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the

property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

**Author's Note:**

If you take the time to read and enjoy it please review it for me. If you take the time and don't enjoy it please tell me why.

**It Completes Me….**

_Epilogue to Hyde School Reunion_

**Scene picks up in living room doorway after Piper lets Victor out and Spies Chris playing with Wyatt.**

I had just let my father out after apologizing again for all of the demonic happenings. And he still wouldn't let me know when "the event" happens, which, for the record, I hate having my death called. He did leave me with some advice about dealing in the here and now, at least where Chris is concerned.

Walking into the living room I stopped to watch Chris playing with his "older" brother. They seemed so natural and at ease it was almost hard to believe Chris hadn't even been born yet. That is until mini-Chris started fluttering. I rubbed my belly and took in the scene before me a second longer. I really didn't want to break the mood because things between Chris and I were still tentative at best. Although he did call me mom last night for the first time I still needed to tread lightly.

My little boy, well at least that's how I wanted to see him and protect him, always seemed like a bundle of nerves and general angst. I had no desire to trigger or heighten that energy in him. I must have had a real far away look in my eyes.

"You feel okay?" Chris' words brought me out of my reverie.

"Huh, oh yeah sweetie, I'm fine. I was just letting grandpa out and was watching you with Wyatt. I'm really glad he has you as a brother. I know how much you love him." My heart was so full I wiped at a tear forming in my eye. Great I didn't want to rock the emotional boat and now I had him completely spooked.

"Hormones," I chortled.

He stood up from Wyatt and came towards me. "Should you sit down or lay down. Maybe I should call your sisters." His voice sounded right panicked. He started guiding me towards a chair in the conservatory. I literally had to swat his hand.

"Enough, please, I'm fine. Thank you. You should know better than most that I'm not a fan of being coddled or handled."

He dropped my hand like it was suddenly engulfed in flames. "Sorry. This was why I didn't want to say anything, about me. I knew it would make things weird between us. I'm just going to head back to P3." He bent down to ruffle Wyatt's hair, "later buddy."

"Wait! Why are you leaving? I thought we were both going to take dad's… grandpa's advice. Spend some demon-free time together." Now I was reaching out for his hand.

"Look I'm sorry. I'm willing to bet your experience with hormonal pregnant women is limited," I persuasively tried to draw him back in to the conversation.

"Yeah, pretty limited," he replied cautiously keeping his distance.

I grabbed both his hands in mine and, in flats, had to look up at him to see eye to eye. "Let me start again… I'm not your average please-fuss-over-me-every-minute-expectant mother. It drives me crazy when your aunts do it, and when your dad did it and usually ends with me being less than gracious."

A slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Well at least you're smiling now. Look women have been having babies for thousands of years and I've even done it once before. I did it and fended off a demon, so if I say I'm okay… trust me! You worry about enough things don't add me to the list. At least not for this, not yet, got it?"

"Okay, okay, but I still have work to do." He started to pull from my grip, which only made me hold on tighter.

"No, you are not going anywhere, at least not yet. I won't go off demon hunting recklessly if you promise to relax… a little, and have a decent meal."

"Not for nothing, but I didn't come here to relax, not even a little."

I bent down to pick up Wyatt who was straining to look up at us and catch every word. I had commandeered his playmate, and he didn't have many, leaving him lonely at ankle level.

"I may only be 12 years older than you at the moment, but I'm still the mom and I'm not above grounding you… magically."

"Are you kidding? You're serious aren't you? Do the words personal gain come to mind at all?" Chris whined.

I definitely had him on the ropes, "so what's it going to be Chris, lunch with your mother or whatever magical punishment I can think up? Something tells me I always offer choices."

"No reasonable ones," he mumbled. He got the most adorable smirk and reached to pick up his brother. "So, what's for lunch?"

We started across the dinning room to the kitchen. Now I was caught off guard. Here I was with my 22 year old son who I had known for nearly a year now and I had no idea what he ate no less what he considered a favorite.

"Let's go in the kitchen and see what we can scrounge up. I'm betting your favorite differs a great deal from Wyatt's at this age. He thinks chicken nuggets are a food group. I sneak carrots in on him when I can. Sound yummy?"

"Not really. How about I whip something up?"

"You cook?" I was shocked.

"Learned from the best, she was a bit of a neat freak and very meticulous, but an A-1 chef. Oh, and she mixes a heck of a potion."

"See now I don't think Paige is that neat at all."

"You're obviously kidding. Even in the future the best meal Paige has ever made was re-nuked take-out."

"Hello, whose using my name in vain?" Paige came bounding down the stairs with Phoebe in tow.

"I was just telling mom how I learned to cook and all about your future culinary skills, or rather lack there of…."

In the kitchen, Phoebe put Wyatt in his high chair and Paige grabbed drinks for everyone. I watched in amazement as Chris deftly maneuvered around the kitchen completely at ease.

"So nephew, are you as good as your mother in the kitchen?" Phoebe inquired. She had plugged in her laptop to work on her column.

"I do one or two of her recipes pretty well," Chris replied modestly. "Unfortunately my best meal isn't exactly lunch. How about blueberry pancakes?"

"Yum, I'm in, Piper doesn't even make those on Sunday anymore," Paige chided.

Barely looking up form the screen Phoebe gave her approval, "works for me too!"

"You may have finally hit on the one other thing your brother will eat besides those chicken nuggets."

"They're our favorite. I mean they will be… I swear ever since I told you the truth I've been more confused then I've been all year. I'll make them and if he hasn't acquired a taste for them yet, we always have the nuggets as a back-up."

Chris worked quietly and I tried not to get in the way while I compulsively cleaned around him. It must have been a rhythm we were both accustomed to because we avoided collisions, spills and other minor kitchen disasters. Paige read the paper and intermittently entertained Wyatt. Phoebe tirelessly worked on her column. She was supposed to incorporate her experience at her reunion, but clearly after last night's happenings that was going to be a wee bit difficult.

When everything was done we ate, talked and actually relaxed for what felt like forever. It was more like an hour, but it was starting to feel so good and so normal that I didn't want it to end. But like all good things it did. Paige volunteered to get Wyatt down for his nap. And Phoebe, after putting the finishing touches on her column, went up to get ready for a date. She was dating fiercely since things ended with Jason. And none of them had panned out. But Paige and I agreed that we didn't need to state the obvious.

While Chris finished putting things away I had to resist the urge to just stare at him. It still amazed me… this whole situation.

"Am I doing something wrong? You're staring again." Chris set the dish towel down on the counter and came to sit next to me.

"No, I was just thinking its been weeks since Leo went, 'up there' for good and that maybe Paige was right last night when she said I should tell him. I've had sometime now to deal with all this and maybe I owe him the same thing."

Chris just sat motionless a blank look on his face. I got up to go get a bottle of water and it broke his stillness.

"I got it mom." He went to the fridge and stopped. "What did you want?"

"Water, thanks sweetie." He opened the bottle and set it down in front of me. Then he sat again.

"Mom, I told grandpa this last night and I wanted to be sure I told you too. You are an amazing mother. The best in fact, and I would never want to hurt you, but I can't deal with Leo right now. I just can't! Maybe, if he comes back. But it has to be because he wants to not because you made him or he feels guilty."

He seemed so adamant that I didn't want to push. But it broke my heart to hear him refer to his father as 'Leo' and basically show no emotions about him one way or another. I wasn't sure where all this stemmed from, but it too would have to keep.

"Chris I don't know if your father will be back. He made his peace and really wanted to go. It killed him to leave me and Wyatt and now that I'm pregnant… I'm not sure what's right. I don't want to hurt him and I certainly don't want you hurt."

"Mom, we're not going to all be happy and it's not going to happen all in one day so I really need to get back to my research. The quicker I save Wyatt the quicker we all get back to our lives and futures."

I put the cap on my water and stood up. "Thanks for the fantastic meal and the spotless clean-up." I kissed him on the top of his head. "I love you baby."

"Love you too mom," Chris said as he orbed out of the kitchen leaving me to do some serious thinking.


End file.
